


In Which Dipper's Fears of Public Bathrooms Becomes Somewhat Rational

by just_a_blip



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Comedy, Gen, I'm Bad At Titles, Trans Dipper Pines, just some bathroom awkwardness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 12:10:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16743751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_blip/pseuds/just_a_blip
Summary: “Okay, Dipper, you can do this.”He’s been standing outside of the men’s bathroom door for three minutes, doing those breathing exercises his therapist showed him and idly picking at the hem of his shirt. This wasn’t a big deal. This wasn’t a big deal.This was a huge deal.-Going to the bathroom in public is scary for a trans kid, especially when you're not alone in the bathroom. This is absolutely not what you think it is.





	In Which Dipper's Fears of Public Bathrooms Becomes Somewhat Rational

**Author's Note:**

> This totally isn't based off of something that happened to me while doing community theatre at my local arts center. Definitely not something I had to deal with first-hand.

“Okay, Dipper, you can do this.” 

He’s been standing outside of the men’s bathroom door for three minutes, doing those breathing exercises his therapist showed him and idly picking at the hem of his shirt. This wasn’t a big deal. This wasn’t a big deal.

This was a huge deal.

He could get murdered or _worse_ and he’s not really sure what’s worse than murder, but he doesn’t want to find out.

“You can do this,” he repeats, voice shaking.

“You can do this!”

Dipper screams and nearly falls to the ground. Mabel laughs and smiles brightly.

“What’re you doing? Ooh! Are you trying to make the door open with your mind? Let me try!”

She purses her lips and stares intensely at the door, rubbing her temples.

“What? No, I’m…” Dipper fidgets when Mabel’s eyes focus on him again. He sighs, shoulders falling heavily. “I’m trying to work up the courage to go in.”

The arts center is a _public_ building that hosts _public_ events for the _public_ , meaning that the bathrooms aren’t just for employees and kids enrolled in classes and shows. Meaning that adult men, _real_ adult men, are using this bathroom. Meaning that Dipper can’t go in. Because murder. Or worse.

“Oh.” It hits her. “ _Oh_! I can come in with you if you’re nervous, Dip.”

It’s a genuine offer, but it doesn’t sit well in Dipper’s stomach. If he walked in with Mabel, his _sister_ who is a _female girl_ , it just reinforces the idea that _he’s_ a girl who sometimes pees in men’s restrooms. It’s bad enough the kids at school think that, he doesn’t want anyone here thinking it too.

“Mabel, you can’t go into the men’s bathroom.”

“I have and I will.”

“That’s...wait, when did you go into a men’s bathroom?”

“Do you remember when we went to Disney World and I had so much sugar I was legally blind for a solid two hours?” Mabel looks up into a corner of the hall, remembering it fondly. “That 5-pound rice krispy treat was definitely worth it.”

Dipper smiles at the memory, particularly the part where he was the one who dared her to eat it all in one sitting. He shakes his head. He needs to pee and now he’s been standing in front of the bathroom door for seven minutes.

“Okay. Okay. Okay. I need to stop stalling. I think I need to just...go in and hope nobody in there notices me.” He perks up a little. “Wait. I’ve been out here for a while and no one went in or out. So no one is even in there right now!”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Go in there and do your business!” She stands on a nearby bench next to some artwork, raising her arms in the air. “Pee like the man you are!”

“I will! I’ll pee like the man I am!”

Mabel gives an enthusiastic whooping noise as Dipper runs into the bathroom. But his excitement is cut short when he sees a pair of shoes underneath the middle stall door. They’re beat up gym shoes attached to hairy legs: obviously a dad. No big deal. No big deal. Just a probably huge man who could punt him into the sun if he wanted. No big deal.

Dipper rushes into a stall , trying not to hyperventilate. This isn’t a big deal. This isn’t a big deal. This isn’t a big deal. Mystery Dad will be washing his hands while Dipper does his business, and when Dipper is washing his hands, Mystery Dad will be out the door. It’s a cycle, it’s a _plan_ , it’s something that lowers Dipper’s heart rate significantly.

He does his business, hoping Mystery Dad doesn’t notice (or care) that he’s peeing in a stall instead of using one of the urinals. Dipper zips up his shorts and realizes something. Mystery Dad has been in here for at _least_ eight minutes, probably more. He shrugs and lets it go in a rare case of his anxiety not controlling his brain. Everyone has been to a bad seafood restaurant at one point in their lives, and staying in a stall for at least eight minutes is almost always the result of bad shellfish. This isn’t a big deal. He exits the stall and washes his hands. The reflection in the mirror smiles at him, and he feels safe and comfortable in this men’s bathroom.

Then he hears it.

Dipper’s whole body goes tense. He slowly begins to process the sound. Sounds.

The first one is a normal sound but it’s _odd_ to hear in a public restroom. It’s some girl talking about her fall favorites: a vlogger maybe? Dipper never watched that sort of thing on YouTube and could only guess that’s what it was based on overhearing what Mabel liked to watch.

The second sound is more alarming, both on its own and paired up with the other noise. Slick skin against skin, rapid and gross like someone stirring mac and cheese too fast. Mystery Dad was m—

This is a big deal. _This is a big deal._ ** _This is a big deal._** Dipper doesn’t even dry his hands, just runs out of the bathroom, face flushed bright red.

“How’d it go, bro?” Mabel cocks her head. “Are you okay?”

“I am never using that bathroom _ever_ again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so time for some small details I thought about for this fic but couldn't justify actually writing in:  
> -The twins are about 14 or 15 here  
> -Mabel is enrolled in a few art classes  
> -Dipper is doing tech for a musical the arts center is hosting  
> -Several different classes were totally interrupted by Mabel screaming about Dipper peeing like a man  
> -When he's at school, Dipper only goes to the bathroom in the single stall bathroom to avoid confrontation  
> -Mabel is Dipper's biggest supporter, just in general but especially when it comes to trans-related things
> 
> If you see any grammar or spelling mistakes please let me know! (Also if you have a better title, please lend it to me.)


End file.
